Rochester Police Stop Armed Suspect in Backyard Altercation

On August 14, 2025, at approximately 7:00 PM, officers were on Weyl Street investigating a stolen vehicle. Unrelated to that investigation, two males appeared from the backyards of Weyl St. One of those males, 48-year-old Lavar McKnight, was shooting at the male he was chasing south across Weyl St. Upon seeing the shooting, Officers immediately began to pursue into the backyard of a house on Weyl St. As the Officer was running up the driveway, he observed McKnight on top of the other male, pistol-whipping him. The officer gave multiple commands for McKnight to stop and show his hands. These commands were ignored, at which time the officer fired one round at McKnight, striking him in the torso.

After being shot, the assault stopped, and McKnight was taken into custody without further incident. A loaded 9mm handgun was recovered next to him. Both McKnight and the male he was assaulting were transported to URMC by AMR. The assault victim suffered from at least one gunshot wound to his jaw, while McKnight suffered from a single gunshot to his torso. Both injuries were non-life-threatening, and both individuals have been discharged from the hospital. Lavar McKnight has been charged with two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree, and Criminal Use of a Firearm in the 2nd Degree.